Market Entry Strategy
Study of your brand, structure, and resources. Analysis of target markets. Identification of what can be transposed as-is and what must be adapted: communication, presentation, offering.
Hong Kong
First Edit Asia
Asia market entry, advisory & operations.
From first contact to first sale.
A boutique advisory firm specialized in opening distribution channels for premium brands across Asia-Pacific markets. I activate a network of regional operators built over 20 years to execute your strategy. No reports gathering dust: field work, concrete results.
20+
years of experience in Asia
11
years in China
6
years in Japan
3
priority markets: Southeast Asia, China / Hong Kong / Taiwan, Japan
2
languages: fluent Mandarin Chinese and Japanese
Our Services
Every mission begins with attentive listening to your brand: its history, values, what made it successful, and the setbacks it has encountered. The goal is not to reproduce a pre-formatted model, but to adapt your offering to local realities for a sustainable market entry.
Partner Identification & Due Diligence
Search for local partners (distributor, agent, franchise, JV) suited to your needs. Financial due diligence, but also human: we assess the match between your brand, your values, and the identified partner. Contract negotiation with deep experience of Asian cultures.
Operations & Setup
Support with the legal creation of a local entity (Hong Kong, China, Japan). Management of HR, tax, and accounting aspects. Recruitment of the first teams — a service I recommend, as the first team is the one that clears the path to success. Transition management if needed.
Brand Localization & Launch
Adaptation of the brand to local markets: name, packaging, communication. Development of commercial strategies including e-commerce (direct or via marketplaces such as Tmall, Lazada). Supervision of retail launch: pop-up, corner, boutique. Negotiation with shopping malls and department stores.
Advisory & Support
Broader advisory missions (strategy, organization, pricing) when they fit within a market-entry perspective. Coaching and mentoring for executives seeking to drive momentum toward Asia. Expert opinion when required.
Our Approach
Launching a brand in a new market is like a new edition: just because the format exists does not mean it repeats itself entirely. Codes and parameters must be reinvented, while building on a base of experience.
The 5 Key Steps
Listen / Observe
Immersion in your brand: history, values, successes, setbacks. Study of your human structure to engage a development 10,000 km from your headquarters.
Field Research
Time spent at headquarters and in your Asian subsidiary, if one exists. Observation in-store, on your digital services, with product, marketing, production, and logistics teams.
Analysis
Study of the target market: what can be transposed as-is, what must be adapted. Identification of potential partners.
Design
Market study and costed roadmap. Decision to proceed or not.
Field Prospecting
If the decision is made, full market-entry engagement: partner search, negotiation, opening, recruitment, launch.
Our Network
A network of vetted local operators — distributors, franchise partners, retail operators and legal and HR providers — built over 20 years across Greater China, Japan and Southeast Asia. Every partner introduced to a client goes through financial and human due diligence.
The Founding Lesson
In 2003, in Hong Kong, I tried to transpose a French brand as-is onto the Chinese market. It was a failure. My Chinese partners then told me: "Listen and observe." That phrase was a revelation: adaptation is not merely necessary, it is the key to success. I remember it on every mission.
How We Work
Monthly written report on mission progress, accompanied by a phone or video call to support the shared document. Frequency adapted to your needs.
Philosophy
Determine the strengths and singularities of each brand for each territory.
Track Record
Results speak for themselves. Here are two examples of missions conducted in Asia, with concrete outcomes. I favor demonstration through action over displaying logos.
Case Studies
IWC — Watchmaking
Repositioning of the brand on the Chinese market.
Result: retail distribution network multiplied by 3 in mainland China in 2 years.
Role: China Brand Manager.
Jacadi — Children’s Fashion & Accessories
Resizing of the brand across Asia-Pacific. Development of the franchise network in China, opening of the Japanese and Singaporean markets.
Result: revenue +50% in 3 years across Asia-Pacific (retail, franchise, distribution, online).
Role: APAC Director.
Key Figures
- 20+
- years of experience in Asia
- 11
- years in China
- 6
- years in Japan
- 3
- priority markets: Southeast Asia, China / Hong Kong / Taiwan, Japan
- 2
- languages: fluent Mandarin Chinese and Japanese
Sectors of Experience
Fashion, accessories, leather goods, jewelry, watchmaking, fragrances and cosmetics, premium food.
About
Olivier Gallard, Founder
International business development consultant. 11 years of experience in China and 6 years in Japan. ESSEC graduate. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese and Japanese.
I have led the development of premium brands across Asia-Pacific and Japan, notably for IWC and Jacadi. I have opened distribution channels in retail, specialized distribution, and online. I have adapted each brand’s offering to specific markets, with marketing repositioning and communication fully tailored to local realities.
Career Path since 2012
- 2012
Creation of First Edit Asia in Hong Kong, focused on introducing new brands across the Asia-Pacific region.
- 2012–2015
Based in Hong Kong, development of European brands (Morgan, Alexandre de Paris) with a focus on Southeast Asia.
- 2016–2018
Based in Shanghai, took charge of Jacadi for a full brand repositioning and the opening of Japan and Singapore.
- 2018–2022
Based in Tokyo, continued market-entry activity across Asia (IKKS, Joone) with a focus on Japan and Greater China.
- 2023
Launch of an Asia–Africa corridor with First Edit Africa, supporting African companies entering Asia and Asian companies entering Africa.
- 2023–present
Both structures act as strategic partners with intimate knowledge of the field and a trusted network that can be activated in Asia and South Africa.
Why Hong Kong?
Hong Kong has always been my favorite city in Asia, and it is the most practical base for this work: the gateway to mainland China, a short flight from every major Southeast Asian market, with a deep professional ecosystem and a simple, predictable business environment.
Personal Connection to Asia
I have always been drawn to Chinese and Japanese cultures, as much to China’s four thousand years of history as to modern Japan. I learned both languages to understand these markets from the inside, without intermediaries.
Ambition
My track record was built in Greater China and Japan; my development focus today is Southeast Asia, a region with strong local demand for market entry and spectacular growth. To bring a market-access model that is faster, more flexible, and less costly, thanks to a strong field presence with our local relays. First Edit Asia offers local expertise combined with global coordination to navigate complex regulatory environments.
Insights
Short, operational analyses to understand field realities, market by market. Each study synthesizes the essentials to inform your development decisions in Asia.
Latest Studies
GACC Decree 280: what food exporters must register before shipping to China
Since 1 June 2026, Decree 280 governs the registration of overseas food producers exporting to China: three registration pathways, new renewal rules, and two customs-declaration fields that now decide whether a container clears.
Read the study (PDF)Shoka shiire: how Japanese department stores really buy, and what it costs your brand
Japanese department stores rarely buy outright: under shoka shiire, the stock stays yours until the customer pays. What the brand finances, what the store cannot impose, and six points to negotiate before the November 2026 tax-free reform.
Read the study (PDF)Exclusive distribution in Asia: five clauses to negotiate before you sign
Territory, performance, exit, trademark ownership and pricing: the five clauses behind most distributor disputes in China, Hong Kong and Japan, and how to draft them, including China’s new 2026 safe-harbour thresholds.
Read the study (PDF)China skincare: sell cross-border before you register with the NMPA
In year one, general trade costs a European skincare brand the most money and disclosure when it knows the least. Cross-border e-commerce lets it sell legally, learn what sells, and register only proven products.
Read the study (PDF)
Contact
Let’s discuss your market-entry project in Asia-Pacific.For CEOs, chief commercial officers and export directors of premium brands.
Contact Details
- Phone
- +852 5436 9443
- Address
- 3 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- Response time
- 1 business day
- Availability
- 8 AM — 5 PM HKT
